Chase

Cities, Towns, Villages

Champion; Enders; Imperial; Lamar; Wauneta

History

It was once said that excluding ranch owners,
their wives and their cooks, at the time Chase
County was organized in 1886 it was populated
entirely by cowboys. Part of the reason for such a
statement may have been the fact that at one time
the Frenchman River, which traverses the county, was
used as a watering stop for cattle drives that
traveled from Texas to Ogallala.

But being situated on the broad, fertile plateau
once referred to as the "Great American Desert,"
early settlers quickly discovered Chase County's
dark sandy loam soil was excellent for farming.
Today, records indicate that more than 30 percent of
the county's 576,000 acres are irrigated. Another 25
percent are involved in dryland crop operations. The
remaining acres are range land. Wheat, corn, beans
and beets are today the principal crops, with
livestock production being of equal importance to
the county's economy.

The organization of Chase County began in 1886,
but it was not until Feb. 27, 1873 that the county
boundaries were officially established by the
Legislature. Previous to that, Chase and Hayes
County were one. The county was named after Champion
S. Chase, who served as mayor of Omaha for seven
years and was Nebraska's first Attorney General.

A Canadian emigrant, Thomas Mercier, settled on
the site that would eventually become the county
seat. It is said that Mercier laid out the town and
gave it its name, presumably after the British
Imperial government.

Several towns within the county competed to
become the county seat. It took three elections
before any town received a majority of the votes.
That town was Imperial and in 1889 the first
courthouse was built. For more than 20 years the
courthouse was the social center of the community.
The building was home to church services, school
programs and social balls, in addition to housing
the local government offices. But in 1910 the
building was destroyed by fire. The following year a
new brick and cement courthouse replaced it. That
building is still in use today.